Rain, rain - don’t go away,Right now inside we’ll gladly stay.In our pajamas all snug and warm,We’re prepared for any old storm.Blankets and pillows for long dreamy naps,Cuddles and kisses while sitting on laps;Reading great books by soft candlelight,Drinking hot cocoa is such a delight.By the bright, dancing fire we toast our small toes,Smelling bread in the oven and soup on the stove.Playing fun games and creating fine art,Writing new poems straight from the heart;Hearing raindrops above so heavy and loudOn the roof that we know is solid and sound.Feeling quite cozy as we happily playIn a tent made of sheets on this dark and wet day;Soft music flowing through out our calm home,Thankful we are for this nest of our own.Eating warm cookies so nice and sweet,Yes, rainy days are such a treat.Rain, rain - don’t go away,We’ll play in the sunshine another day.

ell, I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some rain! I know parts of the country are still in an awful drought and are dealing with heat, fires, and just plain old misery. I really shouldn't complain, but I thought I'd at least write a poem about rain lest I forget what it is!

I was thinking, as I do every now and then....Wouldn't it be fun to have a "Rain Party" on one of those dark, dreary, rainy days (that we will all hopefully get soon!)? Nothing extravagant, mind you, and no invitations would even be necessary as it would be a small and personal family event. I think some planning would be required, though, because we can never really count on weather forecasts. But a rain party simply must take place when it's raining, don't you think? A few simple items saved up and put away for just the right moment would be all that's required. Most of us with children already have games on hand, but maybe you'll run across one you've never played and decide to put it in your "Rain Treasury" as a surprise for your kids. How about some great poems and stories your kids have never heard? They can be collecting for the rain treasury, too, which I'm sure would be a lot of fun for a child. Some fresh crayons, paper, clay, or maybe even a little paint are great ingredients for an art filled rainy day. Letter writing is a fine rainy day activity as well. And small homemade wrapped gifts would be delightful to set aside for a wet day. So many possibilities!

Fresh baked bread may be a little much for some of us to tackle on short notice, but there are many other less time consuming bread recipes out there (biscuits and quick rolls, whipped up start to finish in 20 minutes!) or what about your favorite cookie or cake recipe? I haven't tried this "Rich Roll Cookies" recipe from the Joy of Cooking but it's gotten great reviews from others. I've been looking for a good rolled cookie recipe for cookies that can be cut out with cutters and decorated - a great rainy day project! Now to buy cookie cutters shaped like raindrops and umbrellas!

Soup is a wonderful rainy day food and I'm sure you have your favorites. My family likes Chicken Corn Soup and Potato Soup best. But a good old can of Cambell's Tomato Soup with grilled cheese sandwiches is just as delicious and is the perfect comfort food.

No rainy day would be complete without lots of candles, so stock up on your favorite scents and have them ready to go when the rain starts pouring. Even when it's too hot for a fire, candles send out just enough warm,flickering light to give you and your family that wonderful, cozy feeling. Better yet, you can buy glass lanterns at places like Wal-mart for $5 - you'll have a bit more light if you want to read or play games by a flame. We used glass lanterns in our kitchen for months during our remodel and I miss them!

Along with decorating for your rain party with candles or lantern light, try making a simple old-fashion paper pennant banner to string across your fireplace mantel. If you're like me, you have plenty of colorful scrapbook paper on hand...just make yourself a cardboard triangular shaped template and use it to cut your papers. I'm in the process of making mine - it will simply read R-A-I-N-R-A-I-N. If you'd like some old fashion letters to cut out and glue to your pennant banner, feel free to use either of the two styles in this R A I N document that I created for my own banner. (The first font is called Quentin Caps and the second is called Mary Jane Antique if you like the fonts but want to create different words to print out.) The way I attach the individual letters together is by punching a hole in the upper two corners of each triangle (with a hole punch) and stringing them together pieces of yarn tied in bows. Ribbon will work well, too. Scrapbook paper would be great, also, for making colorful long paper chains to string up here and there. Oh, I really love the idea of spending sunny days to create rainy day decorations:) It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "Saving up for a rainy day" ! After your rain party, just carefully pack up all your decorations and store them for the next time!

If you'd like a copy of my poem to print out for your next rainy day, you can download it here. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it!

I haven't been around in over a week - would you believe I finally had my yard sale?!?!? Boy, am I glad to get that out of the way because it required so much of my attention and energy. The highlight of the yard sale this weekend was the bake sale the kidlets had with some of their friends. They had so much fun! Granted, I literally stayed up all night Thursday (I never went to bed!) baking cookies for Friday's sale, but it was so worth it. The kids also sold lemonade, sweet tea, and soda. Below is a photo...you can see that they made a banner like the one I've described above (so easy even for kids!)

I apologize for all the emails that I've missed lately...I've got some catching up to do, for sure! Thank you all for all the wonderful and thoughtful comments about my fireplace idea...I have a semi-plan in mind already!

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Kim,What a beautiful poem. You're good girl! That bake sale banner looks spectacular ... so gotta make one of those for our next function at work. Come visit my blog when you get a chance. Just started one in late June at http://www.harborhon.blogspot.comSee ya!Carolyn A.

Great poem, Kim! Love the Rainy Day Party idea; I actually had one just for myself today. We've been promised heavy rain every day for over a week, & gotten nothing except thick humidity. Today, right after I put out 3 cardboard boxes of recycling, the sky opened and poured for hours! Since I have no children & don't have to go to work, I baked some cookies, made some hot tea w/ honey, and watched a fun movie on Demand. Then I took a nap on the couch w/ the dog snuggled in my knee curve! That's a great individual party!I'm having a virtual Beach Party on Friday, if you can stop by!

Love the poem. If you want to have a rain party come on over to my house because it is pouring cats and dogs right now. It has been like living in the tropics here lately. Big rain storm that hits for about 30 minutes, it stops, the sun comes out and before we know it the cycle starts again. Everything sure is green though.

Great Poem Kim. I to am waiting for rain. We need it so badly. We are in drought & are restricted on our water usage...:0(. We actually have had rainy day parties, although I do admit, they are few and far between. The playdoh is always a hit, especially when we make the "home made" stuff.

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A rainy day party kit is such a great idea! We probably won't have any rain to speak of until fall, but I think I'll pull some bits and pieces together just in case. It will be a party for just me and my husband but I love the idea of celebrating everything!